#weeklythoughts: the element of freedom

freedom: The quality or state of being free: as (a) the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or actionand/or (b):liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another

independence: freedom from outside control or support : the state of being independent

(2): the time when a country or region gains political freedom from outside control

With reference to history and our shape to become independent states in Africa, it appears that there is a slight mis-step in obtaining our freedom. Freedom in its purest form has no constraints, coercions and control – politically and economically.

When our countries became independent, we had to start or rebuild our economies from scratch. None of us had the financial power to do such independently, so we took aid and loans from global financial institutions such as the World Bank and IMF. from there, we needed clientelle who could afford our resources and labour to give the intense productivity and output our countries needed. So we outsourced from the west.

Over the years,through our political freedom, we have been localizing labour forces to promote employment, but still have this massive bill to pay with these financial institutions, and somehow find difficulty to engage with each other as new clientelle for the exportation of our commodities in our economy. This sums up that we are politically free, but are still bound to financial dues taken with international organizations, that did not empathize with our previous oppression or that our minerals were previously exported without our consent – and while we are under oppression.

The truth is that we are now economically oppressed due to certain measures taken upon our independence, based on the circumstances that I have previously shown. And we need to move into economical freedom through (as some governments are implementing) Intra-Africa trade and economic diversification with young engagement as the language. Through this, we would then have confidence in claiming our countries to have holistic freedom, owning our freedom in truth.